The University of Texas Medical Branch

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Gamers beat medical professionals when performing robotic surgery

Teenage gamers are better at performing robotic surgery than medical professionals because of their superior hand-eye coordination skills. According to research by UTMB, high school and college students outmatched medical residents when performing technologically advanced robotic surgeries. Dr. Sami Kilic, lead author and professor at UTMB, said, “The inspiration for this study first developed when I saw my son, an avid video game player, take the reins of a robotic surgery simulator at a medical convention. With no formal training, he was immediately at ease with the technology and the type of movements required to operate the robot.” He added, “As we see students with enhanced visual-spatial experience and hand-eye coordination that are a result of the technologically-savvy world they are immersed in, we should rethink how best to teach this generation.” The news is receiving widespread coverage and appears in ECN Magazine, Science Daily and Science Newsline.